The present invention relates to a cleaning device for removing residual developing agent from an image carrier of an image forming apparatus such as an electronic copier.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional cleaning device 10 used in an image forming apparatus. Device 10 comprises a blade 14 and an auger 16. Blade 14 contacts an image carrier 12 at one tip 14a to scrape residual developing agent T from image carrier 12. Auger 16 is provided below blade 14 to move the scraped agent T to one side of the housing 18 of the image forming apparatus.
The image forming apparatus has a peeling charger 20 and a peeling error detector 24. When charger 20 fails to peel paper P from image carrier 12, peeling error detector 24 generates an alarm. Hearing this alarm, the operator looks into housing 18. However, paper P has already been peeled and guided by tip 14a into the housing 22 of device 10 through a gap a between tip 14a and auger 16. The operator cannot see paper P and misunderstanding, believes that there is no paper. Paper P is left unnoticed and unremoved. Here arises a problem. Paper P in housing 22, which has been crunched up, not only scratches the surface of image carrier 12 but also inevitably scrapes developing agent T from the next sheet of paper P.
In the case of an image forming apparatus with no peeling error detector detectors, the uppermost sheet P, which have been erroneously fed one upon the other in continuous copying operation, is likely to enter housing 22, while the other blank sheets P are moved to the copy tray. If the uppermost sheet P enters housing 22 and is crunched up, it may push blade 14 onto image carrier 12 so hard that blade 14 is broken, and may push an auxiliary blade (not shown) onto carrier 12 such that the auxiliary blade scrapes agent T from the next sheet of paper P.